House of Bobovich city Evpatoria

The Karaite surname Bobovich (or Babovich) comes from the patronymic of Babakaevich, which in turn is formed from the Karaite name Babakai. In the late XVIII - early XIX centuries in Evpatoria was well known family rich Karaite merchant Babakai Yufudovich Chabak, who had four sons: Solomon, Ilya, Samuel and Yufud. Among them, the greatest success in trade was achieved by Solomon Babakaevich Chabak. Out of respect, the Russian population called him by patronymic: Babakaevich, remaking it in his own way - so the famous Karaite surname Bobovich appeared.

Having earned a large capital on trade and at the same time a high authority among his fellow tribesmen, the Evpatorian merchant of the 1st Guild Solomon Bobovich advanced to the leaders of the Karaite society of the city. In 1795, he joined a delegation sent to St. Petersburg to petition Catherine II for the release of the Karaites from the double poll tax imposed on the Jewish population. As is known from history, the result of the trip of the Karaite delegation was a special rescript of Empress Catherine II, which separated the Karaites from the Jews in legal terms and abolished double taxation for them. In 1815, under the care of his brothers Samuel and Ilya Bobovich, the old kenasa building, which is now known as the Small Kenasa, was rebuilt. Interestingly, six marble columns of the covered gallery of this building were installed in 1819 at the expense of the sons of Solomon Bobovich - young Sima and Babakaya, as the inscription in the Hebrew language says. Large and Small kenases have survived to this day and are not only the only restored and active kenases in the Crimea, but also in the whole of Russia, but also interesting historical and architectural monuments.

Unfortunately, very little is known about the life of Solomon Bobovich. From the archival documents we know that he held the position of mayor of Yevpatoria, but exactly when and for how many terms - it is not known that S.B. Bobovich was the mayor of the city for at least three years, possibly from 1809 until his death in 1812. Karaite sultan

Solomon Babakaevich Bobovich and his wife Esther Mordekhayevna Kogen Aivaz had two sons: the eldest Sima (1790) and the younger Babakai (1801). Even during the life of his father, young Sima Solomonovich Bobovich (1790-1855) was regarded as the successor and future leader of the Karaite society of Yevpatoria. However, thanks to his hard work and natural abilities, Sima Bobovich achieves more: in the 1820s he became the generally recognized leader of all Karaite communities of the Crimean Peninsula, and in 1839 he was nominated for the post of Tauride and Odessa Karaite spiritual government, that is, he became a haham, or head of all Karaites of the Russian Empire. It is known that Simha Bobovich was elected to the post of mayor of Yevpatoria for three consecutive terms, from 1818 to 1827. This is evidenced by an archival document of those times, in which we read: “At the choice of societies Christian, Karaim and Tatar merchant Bobovich (S. S. Bobovich). - V.E.) served as the City Head (Eupatoria). — V.E.) for three three years, beginning in 1818 without interruption and without blame, and for the fourth left free only at his own request. By the way, even before being elected mayor, S.S. Bobovich, despite his youth, showed great organizational skills and took an active part in the life of the city. Thus, during the outbreak of the plague on the peninsula in 1812, when all the Crimean cities, including Yevpatoria, were closed for quarantine, Sima Bobovich (he was only 22 years old!) took care of the poor class, most affected by the lack of food in conditions of complete isolation from the outside world. In 1814 Sima Solomonovich, together with Aaron Pampulov, was chosen as a deputy from the Karaites for a solemn meeting in St. Petersburg, returning from a foreign campaign of Emperor Alexander I, which, however, was canceled. As mayor, Sima Solomonovich Bobovich arranged ditches in the lower part of the city to divert water during heavy rains that caused damage to residents. In 1825, during a poor harvest, he wrote for his money from Odessa to Yevpatoria 6 thousand quarters of grain and, selling it at the lowest prices, almost at cost, prevented the approaching famine.

In the same 1825, Sima Bobovich, a supposedly eminent citizen, was honored to meet Emperor Alexander I during his visit to Evpatoria. And in order to strengthen commerce without sparing labor, care and expenses, we read further in the above-quoted document, teaching an example and luring the merchants to spread turnover, he built four extensive board shops or barns at the port of Yevpatoria near the sea shore, worth considerable expenses, on his own capital. In general, the inhabitants, despite their heterogeneity and distrust, directed to unanimity, silence, good consent and honest industry, using all his efforts and, for the most part, successfully ending the frequent disagreements, disputes and litigations that arose between citizens by peace.

Bobovići family in the city administration of Eupatoria August 11th, 2016 admin Origin of surname The Karaite surname Bobovich (or Babovich) comes from the patronymic of Babakaevich, which in turn is formed from the Karaite name Babakai. In the late XVIII - early XIX centuries in Evpatoria was well known family rich Karaite merchant Babakai Yufudovich Chabak, who had four sons: Solomon, Ilya, Samuel and Yufud. Among them, the greatest success in trade was achieved by Solomon Babakaevich Chabak (?-1812). The Russian population out of respect called him by patronymic: Babakaevich, remaking it in his own way - so the famous Karaite surname Bobovich appeared. Having earned a large capital on trade and at the same time a high authority among his fellow tribesmen, the Evpatorian merchant of the 1st Guild Solomon Bobovich advanced to the leaders of the Karaite society of the city. In 1795, he joined a delegation sent to St. Petersburg to petition Catherine II for the release of the Karaites from the double poll tax imposed on the Jewish population. As is known from history, the result of the trip of the Karaite delegation was a special rescript of Empress Catherine II, which separated the Karaites from the Jews in legal terms and abolished double taxation for them [2, p. 109].

The merits of Solomon Bobovich also include the construction of a new Karaite prayer house - kenasa, which was built next to the old building in 1807 under his care and mostly at his expense.

In 1815, under the care of his brothers Samuel and Ilya Bobovich, the old kenasa building, which is now known as the Small Kenasa, was rebuilt. Interestingly, six marble columns of the covered gallery of this building were installed in 1819 at the expense of the sons of Solomon Bobovich - young Sima and Babakaya, as the inscription in the Hebrew language says. Large and Small kenases have survived to this day and are not only the only restored and active kenases in the Crimea, but also in the whole of Russia, but also interesting historical and architectural monuments. Unfortunately, very little is known about the life of Solomon Bobovich. From archival documents we know that he held the position of mayor of Yevpatoria, but when and for how many terms is unknown [3, lit. 2]. It can only be said that S. B. Bobovich was the mayor of the city for at least three years, perhaps from 1809 until his death in 1812.

Karaite sultan Solomon Babakaevich Bobovich and his wife Esther Mordekhayevna Kogen Aivaz had two sons: the eldest Sima (1790) and the younger Babakai (1801). Even during the life of his father, young Sima Solomonovich Bobovich (1790-1855) was regarded as the successor and future leader of the Karaite society of Yevpatoria. However, thanks to his hard work and natural abilities, Sima Bobovich achieves more: in the 1820s he became the generally recognized leader of all Karaite communities of the Crimean Peninsula, and in 1839 he was nominated for the post of Tauride and Odessa Karaite spiritual government, that is, he became a haham, or head of all Karaites of the Russian Empire. It is known that Simha Bobovich was elected to the post of mayor of Yevpatoria for three consecutive terms, from 1818 to 1827. This is evidenced by an archival document of those times, in which we read: “At the choice of societies Christian, Karaim and Tatar merchant Bobovich (S. S. Bobovich). - V.E.) served as the City Head (Eupatoria). — V.E.) three three years, starting from 1818 without interruption and blamelessly, and the fourth left free only at his own request [3, L. 2]. By the way, even before being elected mayor, S.S. Bobovich, despite his youth, showed great organizational skills and took an active part in the life of the city. Thus, during the outbreak of the plague on the peninsula in 1812, when all the Crimean cities, including Yevpatoria, were closed for quarantine, Sima Bobovich (he was only 22 years old!) took care of the poor class, most affected by the lack of food in conditions of complete isolation from the outside world. In 1814, Sima Solomonovich, together with Aaron Pampulov, was chosen as a deputy from the Karaites for a solemn meeting in St. Petersburg, returning from a foreign campaign of Emperor Alexander I, which, however, was canceled [1, p. 106].

As mayor, Sima Solomonovich Bobovich arranged ditches in the lower part of the city to divert water during heavy rains that caused damage to residents. In 1825, during a poor harvest, he wrote for his money from Odessa to Yevpatoria 6 thousand quarters of grain and, selling it at the lowest prices, almost at cost, prevented the approaching famine. In the same 1825, Sima Bobovich, a supposedly eminent citizen, was honored to meet Emperor Alexander I during his visit to Evpatoria. And in order to strengthen commerce without sparing labor, care and expenses, we read further in the above-quoted document, teaching an example and luring the merchants to spread turnover, he built four extensive board shops or barns at the port of Yevpatoria near the sea shore, worth considerable expenses, on his own capital. In general, despite their heterogeneity and disbelief, he directed the inhabitants to unanimity, silence, good consent and honest industry, using all his efforts and, for the most part, successfully ending the frequent disagreements, disputes and litigations that arose between citizens by peace.

If the grandson of S. S. Bobovich S. E. Duvan, also elected to the post of mayor, managed to develop Evpatoria as an all-Russian resort, Sima Solomonovich himself in every possible way contributed to the development of the trading city, which, thanks to large turnovers, began to bring considerable income to the treasury. During the time of Sima Bobovich, Evpatoria was considered a rich city compared to other settlements of the Crimea, and the tone here was set by Karaite merchants. Here is what in 1835 writes about the Karaites of Evpatoria "Commercial newspaper": "In the port of Evpatoria there are no merchants known for their wealth. The main trading class consists of the Karaites, who have mastered trade in the Crimea since the time of the Khans; they are endowed with special activity and ability to trade. It is difficult for a foreigner to trade successfully without the assistance of Karaite merchants; all the advantages are on their side: the language used between them is Turkish, the local circumstances they preferably know, the capitals in their hands, the activity is tireless; only education is lacking, but they are sufficiently educated for trade with Turkey. The capital of Sima Solomonovich, which allowed him to conduct a dialogue with major dignitaries and influential figures of the empire, served as a reliable guarantor of the Karaite community of the Russian Empire. Thus, in 1827, at the choice of the Karaite communities of Crimea, Sima Bobovich headed a delegation to St. Petersburg, sent to petition for the abolition of recruiting service for Karaites. In the Russian capital, he achieved an audience with Count Victor Kochubey, chairman of the State Council of the Russian Empire, and through him with Emperor Nicholas I himself, who most graciously ordered to satisfy the request of the Karaite delegation. In the Karaite people Simu Solomonovich Bobovich was called the Karaite Sultan.

The main role in the liberation of the Karaites of the Russian Empire from restrictions imposed on Jews and the separation of the Karaites from Jews belongs to the leader of the Karaite communities of the Crimea Simkha Solomonovich Bobovich (1790-1855), who petitioned for separation in all respects between the Karaites and Jews. His activities resulted in government decrees removing restrictions on Jews from the Karaites, such as: 1827 – liberation of Karaites from recruitment 1837 – Resolution on the establishment of the Tauride and Odessa Karaite Spiritual Board 1839 – Decree “On Allowing Karaites to Accept Christians as Service and Entering Russian Citizenship for Foreigners” 1843 – Decree granting honorary citizenship to the Karaites on the basis of general rules, without restrictions imposed on Jews 1845 – liberation of Karaite clergy from taxes and duties 1850 – Decree “On the Non-Prohibition of Karaites from Residing in Villages and Villages and Sales of Hot Drinks” 1851 – release for 25 years of residents of Chufut-Kale from urban and zemstvo duties 1852 - Decree "On Allowing Jews to Come Freely to the Capitals and Other Inner Cities of the Empire" 1853 - Decree "On non-proliferation of Karaites prohibition to belong to the port cities of the northeastern coast of the Black Sea and own property in them" 1855 - Decree "On the non-extension to Karaites receiving scientific and medical degrees of restrictions imposed in general on Jews regarding entry into service" 1855 – Change of the official name “Karaim Jews” to “Karaim” 1863 - The law on the equalization of Karaites in rights with Russian subjects, which read: